Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Siblings or not, what percentage of the class goes to the schools that people talk about as having highly competitive admissions?

At least half…starting with the big list someone provided, plus some corrections/additions I know for sure, this is roughly half the class and since none of us can report everyone (for example, this list is boy heavy), there are likely more. Then, another 10 to Bullis, SAES and SSSA, so, you can decide where you draw the line for highly competitive. The class is roughly 50-55.

5 sidwell
3 St. Albans
2 potomac
1 NCS
2 maret
4 Holton
2 GDS
2 Landon
1 Prep
2 boarding

So this is half the class and then another total of ten went to either Bullis, SAES and SSSA? And then the rest went to public, or just unknown?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would like to know how the kids did who are on FA. I heard a story of a kid a few years ago who was very smart, high test scores but got WL everywhere because they needed too much aid. We are a FA family and will be joining the Norwood community, and they have been very gracious with the aid, but I am a bit concerned about what happens when child graduates.

I can't tell you specifics or certain students/families, but it's true that if you need FA your child will have an extra hurdle to cross - they won't just need to be a fit in the broad context of what students they are looking to fill the class - but also how they fit into the set of applicants they want to support financially. If student X has the same profile as student Y and only student Y needs FA, student X is likely to get the acceptance. This leaves room for student A who uniquely fits at the school (there is no student B like him/her) and also needs FA.

Given the pushback of recent PP's I'm the PP above and this statement is NOT meant to be Norwood specific. It applies to anyone applying to private school that is also reliant on FA. Admissions are not need blind, they are part of the admissions decisions. It doesn't mean a FA kid won't get in. But it can mean that either your child will get in without the FA you need or that your child has an additional hurdle in your process if a school does not wish to offer FA and has decided you won't be able to afford a non-FA offer. Remember on your horizon that the same will be true for college (but maybe with better chances at need-blind schools that meet all financial needs - but that assumes the FAFSA "expected contribution" is something truly affordable to your family).

Suggestion to OP: apply broadly and look for schools your child sees themselves fitting into the community. Don't just focus on prestige. Your outcome will always be better when you cast a broad net with fit in mind. Be sure to have conversations when going through the process in 7th/8th to tap into experience of HS placement team on how to balance chances of FA with your child's interests in school

For some families the issue is that the child and/or the parent sees a HS full of students they want their child to be versus who they actually are. They spent a ton of time and money in K-8 hoping yo mold their child into the type that attends the schools they have their sights on for whatever reason (prestige, location, FA, sports, etc). Admin at K-8’s have the tough job of humbling parents and students. Parents should trust admin as they know these schools better than you think you do.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Siblings or not, what percentage of the class goes to the schools that people talk about as having highly competitive admissions?

At least half…starting with the big list someone provided, plus some corrections/additions I know for sure, this is roughly half the class and since none of us can report everyone (for example, this list is boy heavy), there are likely more. Then, another 10 to Bullis, SAES and SSSA, so, you can decide where you draw the line for highly competitive. The class is roughly 50-55.

5 sidwell
3 St. Albans
2 potomac
1 NCS
2 maret
4 Holton
2 GDS
2 Landon
1 Prep
2 boarding

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would like to know how the kids did who are on FA. I heard a story of a kid a few years ago who was very smart, high test scores but got WL everywhere because they needed too much aid. We are a FA family and will be joining the Norwood community, and they have been very gracious with the aid, but I am a bit concerned about what happens when child graduates.

I can't tell you specifics or certain students/families, but it's true that if you need FA your child will have an extra hurdle to cross - they won't just need to be a fit in the broad context of what students they are looking to fill the class - but also how they fit into the set of applicants they want to support financially. If student X has the same profile as student Y and only student Y needs FA, student X is likely to get the acceptance. This leaves room for student A who uniquely fits at the school (there is no student B like him/her) and also needs FA.

Given the pushback of recent PP's I'm the PP above and this statement is NOT meant to be Norwood specific. It applies to anyone applying to private school that is also reliant on FA. Admissions are not need blind, they are part of the admissions decisions. It doesn't mean a FA kid won't get in. But it can mean that either your child will get in without the FA you need or that your child has an additional hurdle in your process if a school does not wish to offer FA and has decided you won't be able to afford a non-FA offer. Remember on your horizon that the same will be true for college (but maybe with better chances at need-blind schools that meet all financial needs - but that assumes the FAFSA "expected contribution" is something truly affordable to your family).

Suggestion to OP: apply broadly and look for schools your child sees themselves fitting into the community. Don't just focus on prestige. Your outcome will always be better when you cast a broad net with fit in mind. Be sure to have conversations when going through the process in 7th/8th to tap into experience of HS placement team on how to balance chances of FA with your child's interests in school

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would like to know how the kids did who are on FA. I heard a story of a kid a few years ago who was very smart, high test scores but got WL everywhere because they needed too much aid. We are a FA family and will be joining the Norwood community, and they have been very gracious with the aid, but I am a bit concerned about what happens when child graduates.

I can't tell you specifics or certain students/families, but it's true that if you need FA your child will have an extra hurdle to cross - they won't just need to be a fit in the broad context of what students they are looking to fill the class - but also how they fit into the set of applicants they want to support financially. If student X has the same profile as student Y and only student Y needs FA, student X is likely to get the acceptance. This leaves room for student A who uniquely fits at the school (there is no student B like him/her) and also needs FA.

Anonymous wrote:Siblings or not, what percentage of the class goes to the schools that people talk about as having highly competitive admissions?